The artist’s passion for furniture-making — originating in his childhood, when he used to make his own toys — became part of this life-long practice. In the spaces he created, everything from the pigment in the wall plaster to the curtain rods was meticulously thought out and often made by the artist himself, who loved working in brass, marble, and wood as much as with brushes and engraving. Thus, a whole Fassianesque universe was born, where the artist’s signature bicycle riders, lovers, smokers, and cupids live amongst fluttering birds, bees, flowers, and plants.

The design language of Alekos Fassianos is characterised by simplicity and an imaginative, elevating mood, with his furniture reflecting his wider philosophy about human life: the artist believed that we should never rest on our laurels, and always seize the day to make the most of the life ahead of us. All his furniture is therefore designed for practicality rather than comfort and with the idea to keep its users actively engaged in body and spirit. At the same time, they are designed with a deep love for the human body, with smooth, rounded edges and using natural leather and materials that are friendly to the skin. Each object was designed by hand to be unique, reflecting Fassianos’s resentment for all mass- produced things.

Made by the artist himself in collaboration with master artisans, the more than 100 incredible objects that he created for his family reflect the artist’s passion for beauty and detail. The exhibition presents a selection of seating, tables, lighting, painted ceramics, and other functional objects as museum artefacts, which will be reproduced for the first time in 2023. Carwan Gallery will replicate new, small editions of most of Fassianos’s design works, with the certification and collaboration of the Alekos Fassianos Estate — following the drawings and prototypes from the artist’s archive.